of. but if we go over the ifiscal cliff, which is really more of a slope than a cliff. it is not like y2k where january 1, everybody has a dramatic cuts in services and dramatic increases in taxes. that will smooth in over time. that will happen over some time. there's things the president can do to delay the impact of that on the average family. but it is going to be a big shock to the markets and to lots of folks' savings and pensions if we get right up to the end of the year and we haven't had some healthy, clear negotiation about what's the path forward. some framework some downpayment and some bridge. so one bad thing we kick the can down the road. the other we go over the fiscal cliff but without any clear path forward or plan. in my view, a really bad plan is worse than no plan. at the end of the last congress, where i was here as a member of the lame duck, we were prevailed upon, persuaded to vote for a two-year extension of the bush tax cuts. the price of that was -- had we not done that, unemployment ins